Kimora Lee Simmons Net Worth: How Rich is the TV Star?

Kimora Lee Simmons is an American model and TV personality. She is best known for her appearance in reality shows “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane” and “Kimora: House of Fab”. Simmons is the founder of the clothing brand, Baby Phat. As of 2023, Kimora Lee Simmons net worth is roughly around $200 million.

Early life

Kimora Lee Simmons was born on the 4th of May, 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born to Joanne Perkins and Vernon Whitlock Jr. Her father worked as an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigator and her mom is a social security administrator. When she was studying in grade school, her dad was arrested and sentenced to prison on a charge of distributing narcotics.

Kimora’s parents separated after her father was released from prison. Then, she was brought up by her mother. At age 10, she was nearly 6 feet tall and often gets teased due to her height. Then, she was enrolled in a modeling class by her mom so that she would not lose her confidence. Kimora signed a modeling contract with a French luxury Fashion house at age 13.

Kimora Lee Simmons Net Worth & Career

 

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In 1989, she received early notice in the fashion world after closing Lagerfeld’s haute couture show. After that, she modeled for known fashion designers and luxury fashion houses. In 1998, she created a parallel woman’s brand called Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons.

Simmons was subsequently appointed creative director and president of the Baby Phat brand in 2000. The company, Phat Fashions was purchased by the Kellwood Company for $140 million in 2004. Simmons was named the president of Phat Fashions in 2006.

Simmons made an announcement in 2019 that she had reacquired the Baby Phat brand. Following a year in August 2020, she made an announcement that her daughters Ming and Aoki Lee have curated the Baby Phat Beauty Line. Simmons entered the TV world as a host of One World Music Beat in 1998. Then, she worked as a host of the syndicated talk show, Life and Style in 2004. In addition, she also competed in several VH1 specials such as “Party Fabulous” and “Uncut New York Fashion Week”.

Kimora worked as a judge on the Season 1 of “America’s Next Top Model” in 2003. After that, she served as a judge on the franchise Germany’s Next Top Model. Simmons also made an appearance on the Style Network’s reality series “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane”, which debuted in 2007 and lasted for 7 seasons. In addition to starring in the show, she also served as a producer for 4 episodes and became an executive producer for another 10 episodes between 2009 and 2010. In 2013, she became a part of another reality series “Kimora: House of Fab”.

Personal Life

Kimora Lee Simmons first married entrepreneur and record executive, Russell Simmons in December 1998. The pair met at 1992’s New York Fashion Week. Together, they share two daughters Ming Lee and Aoki Lee. They stayed together as a couple until March 2006 and separated with divorce. Then, she started dating Djimon Hounsou in 2006.

Simmons publicly claimed to be married to Hounsou in 2008. She also gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou in May 2009. However, they ended their relationship in 2012. Simmons married a banker, Tim Leissner in February 2014. She delivered a son, Wolfe Lee Leissner in April 2015. Simmons adopted a 10-year-old boy, Gary Lee in January 2020 and became a mother of five kids.

Kimora and her five kids were spotted at a back-to-school giveaway event on Thursday, August 18 in Los Angeles. The giveaway event was hosted by Simmons’ company, Baby Phat, the Boys & Girls Club of America, Dollar Tree, Crayola, and Family Dollar. One of her children, Aoki Lee was accepted to Harvard University in 2019 at 16 years of age.

Kimora Lee Simmons Net worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kimora Lee Simmons’ personal wealth is estimated to be around $200 million as of 2023. She purchased an $8.5 million, 13,000-square-foot mansion after separating from Russell Simmons in 2016. Simmons also owned a 20,000-square-foot house in Beverly Hills, which she purchased for $25 million in 2017 and sold in a $9 million loss for $16 million in January 2021.